Review: 'Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare' is a good mix of thrilling action and strong characterisation
Detective Conan at work in “Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare.” (ODEX Private Limited)
Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.
Secret ending? Yes.
Running time: 112 minutes (~1.75 hours)
“Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare” is a crime and action animation that’s the 20th in the “Detective Conan” franchise, also know as “Case Closed.” It sees the arrival of a mysterious woman who could be the key to the Black Organisation’s greatest victory — or complete defeat. It features the voice talents of Minami Takayama (Conan Edogawa), Wakana Yamazaki (Ran Mori), Rikiya Koyama (Kogoro Mori), Yuki Amami (Curacao), Yukitoshi Hori (Gin), Fumihiko Tachiki (Vodka), and Mami Koyama (Vermouth).
“Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare” is a beautifully animated film that blends fluid action with still-life depictions of the real world. It leverages on the franchise’s core strengths, while delivering an original story that’s epic enough to be told on the big screen. For a film that’s slightly longer than the typical anime offering, it’s surprisingly energetic, and keeps you glued to the screen until it’s explosive finale.
Gin in “Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare.” (ODEX Private Limited)
Highlights
Fast-paced
“Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare” has its mystery set up quickly, and it also has the story unfold quickly as plot twists and new revelations serve to keep us guessing about the reality of the situation. It’s a fairly convoluted plot, but the film manages to deliver enough exposition snappily, so that we’re kept entertained and intrigued by this strange new woman.
Climatic ending
The climax of the film has all the main characters working together (and against each other) in a believable and feasible fashion. For a movie with such a mammoth cast, it’s an impressive feat to have them coincidentally converge on the same location at the same time, without having it seem too contrived. The ending is an action-packed fight that sees ferocious gunfire, collapsing buildings, and the requisite explosion. A perfect ending for an animated film!
Spy movie vibe
Once Act Two begins, “Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare” starts feeling like a spy film. The Black Organisation attempts to tie up its loose ends while Conan and the FBI try to outwit them through careful schemes and a heavy dose of luck. Without giving away too much, the subterfuge that the new character brings into the fray is what helps make this feel like an espionage film.
Empathy for the new character
Despite all the action and counter-intelligence activities going on, the movie does remember to give its new character a backstory and characterisation that’s impactful. She’s not just a gimmick for everyone to fight over, and even has her own story arc where she discovers more about herself and the people around her. It’s this emotional aspect that makes the climax all the more exciting when you see what this new lady is willing to fight for.
Will he clash with his rival in “Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare?” (ODEX Private Limited)
Letdowns
Status quo doesn’t change
Sadly, there’s no change in the status quo of the franchise as a whole. It’s particularly disappointing because the movie opened with a promise of world-shattering consequences, but the nature of the franchise mandates that this can’t be so (otherwise it would defy current plotlines).
Tears in “Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare.” (ODEX Private Limited)
“Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare” is a good mix of thrilling action and strong characterisation.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you’re a Detective Conan/Case Closed fan.
Score: 3.5/5
“Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare” opens in cinemas 7 July, 2016 (Thursday).
